Fold-away toilet with improved bowl hinging means



March 18, 1958 A. COLONNA FOLD-AWAY TOILET wx'ru IMPROVED BOWL HINGING MEANS Filed July-26. 1956 3' Sheets-Sheet 1 1 Fig.1

Ange/0 Colon/7a INVENTOR.

FOLD-AWAY TOILET WITH IMPROVED BOWL HINGING MEANS Filed July 26, 1956 March 18, 1958 A. COLONNA 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ange/a Colo/ma INVENTOR.

March 18, 1958 COLONNA FOLD-AWAY TOILET WITH IMPROVED BOWL HINGING MEANS Filed July 26, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig.3

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nited St te w-Q FOLD-AWAY TOILET WITH-IMPROVED BOW'E HINGING MEANS ,The present invention relatesto fold-away or folding. flush-type toilets which are primarily designed" and therefore suitably. adapted for practical usein washrooms, and toilets of! limited areal size. As will,v no doubt, occur to-the reader quite promptly, folding toilets,.with or without wash basins, are usuallyassociated' with small quar ters such as are available therefor on railway cars, airplanes, boats, submarines and analogous conveyances. However, and of late there has been a demandv for compact fold-away'toiletson and in connection with so-called landstructures, forexample, homes, apartments, hospitals and the like.

Speaking somewhat generally, bowls which are expressly constructed to swingupwardly and normally into an out-of-the-way position in a compartment in a wall cabinet are not suchin construction thatthey can beunqualifiedly endorsed for installation inrestricted areas inhomes-andthe like. That is to say, a study of the overall problem has shown that installations on land structures must'be such that they serve'not only the manufacturing requirements and economies of of-manufacturers, distribution and sale requirements ofplumbing andsupply houses and users ingeneral, but the-needs of plumbers and especially the provision of requisite adaptations which comply with sanitation code requirements. It follows therefore-that the object of the instant invention is to structurally, functionally and therwise improve upon similarly constructed and'performing prior art fold-away toilets and to: solve the over-all problem taking into account the prerequisites above touched upon in an ever so general way.

It will aid the reader in familiarizinglhimself with the nature-of the subject matter herein under advisement by knowing that much of the structure herein" revealed is already covered in one way or another in prior. patents. For example, Patent No. 2,725,575 on a folding: water closet granted to me on December 6, 1955 should, it is believed, he referred to. Secondly, reference should 'be made to Patent 2,750,599 and other material which may be touched upon in the instant presentation as will be hereinafter evident.

Briefly, the prior art teaches that it is now old-to provide a stationary cabinet or an equivalent structure having a bowl receiving compartment into which the hingedly mounted liftableand 'lowerable flush type bowl is swung and confined in its up out-of-the-way position. A fixed soil-pipe is provided and the intake end of this is provided in one manner or another with an elbow, a

cradle or a similar adaptation. The associated bowl is provided with a flush water receiving, circulating and distributing rim around its top portion and has a restricted fluid and fecal matter tunneling neck at its emptying or discharge end; A cylindrical head is integrated'with and communicatively connected to the discharge neck and the end portions of the neck are mounted for angular rotation in relatively fixed bearing means. Flush water fromaremote control: valve is passed under preshingedlymounted toiletv ice 2 sure through an end portion of the hinging head and then through an appropriate duct connection to anaperture distributing orflush ring or rim on the fold away bowl.

As already touched upon and whereas the structural arrangements covered in the previous patents are entirely acceptable for use on and in connection with mobile con-- veyances such as railway cars and so on, the facilities which have been heretofore appropriated to deliver the flushwater from the source of supply, the flush valve,. to the bowl by way of the hinging head have not meas' ured upto the requirements of the sanitation and plumbing code prerequisites. To the end that this situation may be effectually remedied the improvements hereinrevealed and. required. have been evolved and produced. More explicitly, the invention has to do with a novel and practical open ended hinging head which takes the form of a cylinder and which is partitioned between its ends to provide individual chambers or compartments, one for reception and passage of the flush water, and the other for reception of the fecal matter and waste liquids and wherein the desired results are obtained 'by joining said head with the fecal matter discharge neck of thebowl.

, In carrying out a preferred construction and arrange ment spaced apart relatively fixed bearings are provided, one being embodied in an elbow-like fitting which is communicatively arranged atop the usual S-trap leading to the disposal pipe.

Novelty in addition is predicated on a special end construction at the intake end of the stated hinging head wherein a fixed adapter is provided and is in turn provided with a bearing and which provides means whereby a coupling may be communicatively connected thereto and also connected to the lower end of a rigid conduit or pipe, the latter at its upper end being, in turn, connected with the required flush valve whereby an arrangement is had which meets, it is believed, the sanitation and plumbing requirements in most areas.

Stated somewhat more generally, an overall objective is to improve upon and reduce the number of parts entering, into the combination, thereby not only increasing the efficiency of the structure as a whole but rendering the same less costly to manufacture and to otherwise simplifythe factors of assembling, repairing, sale and mode of operation.v

In the drawings:

QFig. 1' is a view in section and elevation which may betreated as a plan: view of the toilet bowl in its open position, or alternatively, a section taken approximately onthe'plan'eof line 1-1 of Fig. 3;

' Fig. 2 is a view with parts in section and elevation based on Fig. 1 and taken approximately on the line 2'-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

,Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 4 is an exaggerated section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 V

It will be evident to the reader by familiarizing himself with Patents 2,725,575 and 2,750,599 that many of the" details herein disclosed are also disclosed in those patents. '-'It' is not intended, therefore, to duplicate any of: the claimed subject matter in these patents here or to: delve into great detail into information given in those the numeral 6 and may vary in construction so that it will include a compartrnent or space 8 into which the toilet bowl structure folds to an out-of-the-way posinon when norm use. The opening in the front is denoted in Fig.2 by the numeral 10 and a sheet material toiletbowl" is denoted at 12 and this is suitably encased V, Patented Mar. 18, 179,58.

in an appropriate housing 14. The latch which holds the encased bowl in an up out-of-the-way position is denoted at 16. The hingedly mounted seat is denoted at 18 and is of any appropriate construction and suitably mounted. The perforated ring or rim on the top of the bowl is denoted at 20. as is seen in Fig. 2. The discharge neck, which may be said to be somewhat semi-cylindrical in cross-section, is denoted at 22 and is communicatively joined and integral with the discharge end of the bowl and is shaped as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. The extreme discharge end portion thereof is best shown in Fig. 4. Before discussing the details of the bowl and its hinging and mounting means reference is made now to Fig. 2 wherein 24 denotes the aforementioned S-trap which is communicatively joined at its lower end with a soil pipe or the like (not detailed). On the flanged upper end 26 of the trap there is an elbowlike fitting 28 which is one of the improved features here and which is appropriately hollow and which is provided at its bottom with a flange 30 which is bolted in place as at 32. Incidentally, the numeral 34 designates a bracing bracket which serves to stabilize the fitting and is of any appropriate construction and suitably bolted in place as at 36 in Fig. 3. As seen in Fig. 1 the upper neck portion of the elbow is laterally directed from right to left and is fashioned into an annular bearing 38.

Looking now to the left in Fig. 2 attention is directed to a horizontal channel-shaped stabilizing member which is denoted generally by the numeral 40. This is suitably supported in the cabinet and extends from the point seen in Fig. l to the front wall 42. The web portion of this is provided with an aperture which is utilized to accommodate an insertible and removable adapter 44. This adapter has other functions and one of them is to cap over and close an adjacent end portion of a cylindrical hinging head 46 which is joined to the aforementioned funneling or discharge neck as at 48 in Fig. 4. Referring, however, to the adapter 44 this comprises an annular collar-like portion 48 providing a bearing, and a closing plate 50 bolted in place as at 52. This plate has an outstanding boss 54 which is provided with a screw threaded hole to accommodate one branch 56 of a rigid coupling 58. This embossed portion is also provided somewhat centrally with a bearing 60 which serves to accommodate a stub shaft 62 carried by the arms 64 of a spider formed integrally with one open end portion of the aforementioned hinging head 46. The stub shaft terminates in a reduced extension 66 to which a crank arm 68 is connected. Reverting to the hinging head this is end is slightly enlarged where the spider is formed to provide an outstanding annulus 70 which is channeled and provided with a packing ring and provides a trunnion or journal which is rotatable in the bearing 48. There is an equivalent packed journal or trunnion 72 at the right hand end as also seen in Fig. 2 and this is mounted for rotation in the aforementioned bearing 38. lnteriorly the cylinder is divided by an imperforate partition 74 at the left into a water intake space 76 having a clean out plug 78. The space in the cylinder receives water by way of the spider openings and bearing 48 from the branch 56 of the coupling .58. The water is transferred from the space 76 into a short rigid tube or pipe 78 which communicates with the rim in the manner shown best in Fig. 2. The right hand space or compart ment 80 provides for reception of the fecal matter and waste water from the bowl received by way of the aforementioned discharge neck 22 (Fig. 4).

The flush valve is denoted by the numeral 82 andis of the same construction as shown in my copending application U. S. Serial No. 474,370, filed on December 10, 1954, now Patent No. 2,794,988, issued June 11, 1957. There is a rigid supply pipe 84 which leads from the vacuum breaker 86 of the valve and provides a rigid connection between the valve 82, coupling 58'and rigidly an elongate open ended cylinder and the left hand mounted adapter 44. This all rigid construction is in compliance with the sanitation and plumbing code requirements and is also novel. The numeral 88 designates a jet pipe or line from the coupling 58 to the S-trap which is here shown for completeness but is neither featured nor claimed. The aforementioned crank arm 68 is pivotally connected as at 90 (Fig. 3) with the lower end of a channel shaped bar 92 the upper end of which is in cooperating contact with a push button 94 and which is also operatively located between guide flanges 96 mounted on the front wall and providing a support for the hinge controller handle or lever 98. These parts (90 and 98) are special features of a construction which is not to be herein described in detail but which are covered in my copending U. S. application Serial No. 560,198, filed on January 19, 1956, now Patent No. 2,799,864, issued July 23, 1957. In fact, it would only complicate matters here to discuss in detail the valve and controller and locking means. Also, it would be com plicating the case to describe that in actual practice mechanical lifting and lowering means (not shown) is provided for the bowl and is covered in copending Serial No. 474,370 (Pa-tent No. 2,794,988). Therefore, attention is to be focused on the construction seenin Fig. 2 which has to do with the bearing equipped elbow 28 communicatively joined with the S-trap 24 and having the bearing 38 to accommodate the trunnion or journal 72 on the cooperating end of the angularly rotatable multipurpose cylinder 46 which serves not only as a hinging head but as a divider and defines the incoming water space 76 at the left and the fecal matter compartment or space at the right of the partition 74. Novelty is also predicated on the spider and bearing equipped left hand end of the multipurpose hinging head or cylinder 46 and the closing cap 44 with the facilities whereby the desired rigid plumbing requirements including the coupling 58 and remote control flush valve may be satisfactorily appropriated and utilized.

It is submitted that the detailed specification taken in conjunction with the copendin g applications and the aforementioned patents and the accompanying sheets of drawings will enable the reader to obtain a satisfactory understanding of the construction and mode of operation. In the circumstances a more detailed description is believed to be unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size and rearrangement of parts may be resorted to in actual practice without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a folding toilet construction, a stationary cabinet having a bowl receiving and accommodation compartment, a toilet bowl normally located in a folded out-of-the-way position in said compartment, an S-trap adapted to be communicatively and cooperatively mounted on a stationary soil pipe, a vertical elbow-like fitting having one end communicatively and operatively supported atop and communicatively joined to the intake end of said S-trap and having a laterally directed horizontal intake end fashioned into a bearing, a hollow bowl supporting and hinging cylinder, said cylinder being of uniform cross-sectional diameter and open ended and having open end functioning as a waste matter discharge and communicatively mounted for operation in said bearing, a fixedly supported adapter, having a beating aligned axially with and spaced from said first named bearing, said cylinder bridging the space between said elbow and said adapter and the open end of cylinder adjacent to said adapter serving as a water inlet and being operatively mounted in said second-named bearing, a remote type flush water supply valve, a rigid delivery pipe providing a connection between said valve and adapter and for supplying water into the inlet end of the hinging cylinder by way of said adapter, said hinging cylinder partition internally to define a flush water space at said inlet end and a fecal matter and waste water discharge space at said discharge end, said adapter comprising a cup-shaped closure which is capped over said inlet end and which has an annular member providing said second named bearing, and a rigid tube lateral to and communicatively joined to said cylinder and adapted to be operatively connected to the flush rim of a toilet bowl.

2. In a fold-away toilet construction, in combination, an S-trap adapted to be communicatively connected to and supported atop a soil pipe, an elbow-like fitting rigidly and communicatively secured atop said S-trap and having a laterally directed end terminating in a first 'bearing, a cup-shaped adapter embodying a plate having an annular laterally disposed rim member, said annular rim member providing a second bearing, said plate and annular member, conjointly, constituting a cap and being adapted to serve as a closure, said plate having a centrally disposed bearing, a bowl supporting and hinging head comprising a cylinder, said cylinder bridging the space between said bearings, being of uniform cross-sectional diameter from end to end and open at its opposite ends one open end functioning as the waste matter discharge and communicatively mounted for operation in said first bearing, the opposite open end of said cylinder, adjacent to said adapter, serving as a water inlet and being operatively mounted in said second named bearing, said cylinder being provided at its intake end with spider means having an axially disposed outstanding stub shaft journaled for angular rotation in the bearing in said plate, a remote type flush water supply valve, a rigid delivery pipe providing a connection between said valve and having coupling means communicatively coupled to an opening provided therefor in said plate in a manner to deliver the water into the intake end of said cylinder, said cylinder being partitioned internally to provide a flush water space at said inlet end and a fecal matter and waste water discharge space at said discharge end, said toilet bowl having a fecal matter emptying neck communicating operatively with water discharge space in said cylinder, said bowl having a flush rim, and a rigid communicating connection between said rim and cylinder.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and wherein said stub shaft extends beyond the plate, the extended end thereof being provided with a crank arm and said crank arm being adapted to be operatively connected to safety control means which is utilized for cooperating contact with a push-button with which the aforementioned valve is provided.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,219,437 Andersen Oct. 29, 1940 2,725,575 Colonna Dec. 6, 1955 2,750,599 Colonna June 19, 1956 

